According to the report by GIA on February 27, 2012, the global industrial robotics market is projected to reach 204 thousand units by the year 2017, compared to last year’s report on January 10, 2011 that spoke of 143 Thousand Units by 2015. GIA’s report indicates the increase in units of Industrial Robotics, which follows these end-use segments: Assembly, Material Application, Material Handling (Palletizing/Packaging, & Parts Transfer), Measuring/Inspecting/Testing, and Welding, is the result of the strong growth in Asia-Pacific, especially South Korea and China. The report also refers to the handling production of electronic products, and the outcome of incremental technology developments in chip design that has helped transform the robotics industry.

As GIA’s report points out, there has been a growing acceptance of robotics serving a variety of enterprises; robots can be used in assembly lines in the automotive sector, as an asset for medical and healthcare, and even help with consumer goods, semi-conductor and electronics and rubber and plastic industries. The report simply reveals how there is these days a large market for industrial robotics worldwide.

New uses of industrial robots have indeed made an impact on the world of work today and will continue to play a very important role in the overall growth of economy even in this stagnant situation, as GIA reports. According to Robotic Industries Association (RIA), robotic systems will lead to better jobs for workers and bring sociological and economic benefits as well. Of course there could be reductions in investments — fallouts of the economic crisis — and challenges facing the robotics industry; however, its future looks positive.

To sum up, robotics have seen an increase in the labor market due to more enterprises looking for robots to meet the demand-supply gap, thus allowing them to become more efficient and productive. Robots also help them increase production, reduce costs, improve human safety, reduce human handling of consumer goods and appliances, assist or replace humans performing difficult, repetitive, unpleasant tasks in any type of hazardous or in unsafe environments.